The need for a non-skid surface upon which articles may be placed has been recognized in the art. Thus, the prior art discloses a variety of non-skid supporting surfaces upon which articles, such as tools and the like, may be placed. Such prior art non-skid surfaces are constructed, for example, from materials possessing non-skid surface properties or by embossing or texturing materials having normally smooth slippery surfaces.
There is a special need for non-skid supporting surfaces in the field of medicine, particularly, surgery, upon which a surgeon may place surgical instruments while performing surgery. This special need has also been recognized in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,882,859 discloses a surgical drape with a large fenestration. The surgical drape is covered by a thin elastomeric sheet, having a high elastic modulus and high coefficient of friction. In use, the drape rests directly upon the body of the patient, immediately on or adjacent to the operative site, and provides a sterile, non-skid resting place for instruments adjacent to the operative site.
While this drape and others like it are constructed of materials having relatively high coefficients of friction, the coefficients of friction of these materials are not sufficiently high to prevent surgical instruments from sliding off the drape when it is at a sharp incline, for example 45.degree. or more, or when it is agitated or otherwise disturbed during the operation. This may be due to the fact that while many elastomeric materials have relatively high coefficients of static friction they have relatively low coefficients of kinetic friction.
Another disadvantage of such prior art drapes is that the elastomeric materials from which the drapes are made do not allow instruments to be dropped thereon without the fear that the instruments will fall off the drape Still another disadvantage is that such drapes cannot be washed during use.
Another type of surgical drape which is employed is a "magnetic drape". Magnetic drapes, as the name implies, have magnets distributed between the top and bottom surfaces of the drape for holding metallic instruments in place. These drapes, however, have many disadvantages. Thus, the magnets which are positioned between the top and bottom surfaces of the drape tend to break through the drape after repeated sterilization. Such drapes are also difficult to use because they are stiff and heavy and require precise placement of instruments over the magnets. Another disadvantage is that the magnets in the drape magnetizes the instruments. Still another disadvantage is that such drapes are not useful in holding non-magnetizable articles.
Accordingly, it is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a non-skid surface for supporting articles such as tools, surgical instruments and the like.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a sheet material having a sterile, permanently tacky surface made without sticky adhesives, and having high coefficients of both static and kinetic friction. Such a sheet material may be placed near the operating area. All types of surgical instruments may be placed or dropped upon it and surgical instruments will not slide from it when the surface is at an incline, agitated or otherwise disturbed.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a reuseable sterile material which may be repeatedly autoclaved or gas sterilized without losing its properties.